This is the dramatic moment sharks were seen feeding on a decaying whale carcass off the coast of Hawaii.

Tour operators observed the spectacle for nearly nine hours, watching nine oceanic whitetip sharks and five tiger sharks feed without conflict approximately 10 kilometres from the island's west coast.

Dr Molly Scott from the University of Hawai'i at Manoa said this is the first known case of these two species scavenging together.

She added: 'These species are rarely seen together in the wild because of the vastly different habitats they occupy.'

Oceanic whitetips are solitary and migratory, spending most of their time in the open ocean. Tiger sharks are larger, more coastal, and present year-round.

Despite the small size of the carcass and the number of sharks, no aggression was observed either between or within species.

Dr Molly said: 'Even with that many sharks feeding on such a small carcass, they all seemed to know their place.'

Tiger sharks dominated the feast, likely due to their larger size, while smaller sharks fed on scraps drifting away.

One smaller female tiger shark was seen hanging back, possibly too shy or cautious to enter the already-established feeding hierarchy.

Authorities said the unusual event could help scientists better understand social behaviour and interactions between sharks from different habitats.

Dr Molly hopes the sighting reshapes how people view sharks.

She added: 'They are not the human-eating predators they are made out to be.'